NAVADAPT LAB + ADAPTIVE KITCHEN

A prototype kitchen being developed for an underserved minority: disabled veterans.

The domestic kitchen is the center of efficiency in a home. From food prep to cooking to cleaning, the kitchen works for its user, serving the needs of his/her body. This is true, at least, for the majority of the population.

The ADAPTIVE KITCHEN seeks to serve those with lower limb loss, visual impairment, and limited mobility, which are some of the most prominent injuries among veterans. As a working laboratory exploring the potentials of reality computing and emerging technologies in the design of human-centered environments, the NavADAPT LAB was developed to iteratively prototype and test components of adaptive and augmented spaces for application into the ADAPTIVE Kitchen. The first prototype, NavADAPT 1.0, was completed in March 2016 and exhibited at REAL2016 in San Francisco. A second prototype, NavADAPT 2.0, was completed in August 2016.

The NavADAPT LAB and ADAPTIVE Kitchen are part of a continuum of projects attempting to provide quality, affordable housing for Pittsburgh’s veteran population as well as other low-income residents. This work is being implemented and tested in the Uptown neighborhood of Pittsburgh as part of a larger effort to revitalize the neighborhood.